Congress plunges nation into government shutdown

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., center, with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., right, urge House Republicans to return to negotiations to fund the government, during a news conference just before midnight at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. For the first time in nearly two decades, the federal government staggered into a partial shutdown Monday at midnight after congressional Republicans stubbornly demanded changes in the nation's health care law as the price for essential federal funding and President Barack Obama and Democrats adamantly refused. Joining Van Hollen and Pelosi are, from left, Assistant Minority Leader James Clyburn, D-S.C., Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Evan Vucci

Eric Cantor, John Boehner, Kevin McCarthy

House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., left, and House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., rear center, look on as Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 in Washington. Congress was unable to reach a midnight deadline to keep the government funded, triggering the first government shutdown in more than 17 years. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)